


Happy Birthday?

by ScribeOnTheSide



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Birthday, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I know this has been done 1000 times, M/M, couldn't help it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 00:18:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8919157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScribeOnTheSide/pseuds/ScribeOnTheSide
Summary: Ranulf is agitated and Ike doesn't know why.  Ranulf and Ike have a long overdue discussion about their relationship.  Angst happens but they work it out like well-adjusted video game husbands.  Fluffy nonsense brought on by my own birthday and end of year introspection.





	

Dawn broke as it always did. The light shifted ever so slightly from pitch black to dark grey before deep pink stripes glowing in the east returned color to the world. Ranulf stood at the open flap of his tent, watching the change. He could almost smell the brightening of the sky as he sniffed the cool morning air. His sensitive cat ears twitched and spun to catch the small scratching sounds of animals emerging from their nests, holes, and dens, hungry to start the day.

“Hopefully theirs will be better than mine” he thought. He’d been watching the approach of this day with trepidation. Now it was here and he was just going to have to deal with it.

The cat laguz sighed and glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping fighter in his bed. Ike was sprawled on his back, deep in a dreamless sleep. His blue hair, wild and spiky, hung in his face with one arm thrown over his head. He looked almost childishly innocent. Ranulf smirked thinking about how not-so-innocent he’d looked just a few hours before. He swiveled his ears forward to catch the sound of the man’s quiet breathing. That subtle sound was the music of home for him. *Ike* was home for him now. 

Shaking his head at how maudlin he was being, Ranulf stepped into the morning mist.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“I got you some extra. Cook thinks I’m too thin.”

Ike plunked the tin plate on the ground next to Ranulf and leaned against the tree they’d sought shade under. As they ate lunch, Ike caught his companion up on what had happened on the 2-week mission he’d returned from the night before. They’d been too busy for chit-chat then. Ike had jokingly protested that maybe he had vital information regarding their battle strategies but Ranulf deemed the topic far less important than giving Ike a rigorous check for “injuries” as he pulled the tired fighter into the tent.

Looking at Ranulf now though, Ike knew something was wrong. His companion was fidgety. While that wasn’t unusual for a cat laguz, he seemed almost agitated and picked at his food. He also looked like he hadn’t slept very well. Ike paused in his retelling of an adventure with a flock of escaped sheep the generals had tried to catch.

“Are you feeling alright,Rani? Something seems...well...off.”

Ranulf waved his hand, a forced smile coming to his face..  
“Naw, just not feeling our fine cuisine today. And maybe got up a little too early while *some* of us slept late.” he teased, flicking a stray lock of Ike’s hair out of his eyes.

Ranulf then launched into an elaborate impersonation of everyone at the morning’s strategy meeting having a ridiculous argument, making Ike roar with laughter as he recognized person after person. But he knew that his catboy was trying to distract him from digging deeper. Ike could see it in his eyes, a faint bleak mist hovering at the edges. This needed investigation.

“Hey! You wanna come see if anything interesting came in the new convoy shipment?” Ike asked, holding out his hand.

Ranulf rewarded him with a real smile and took his hand.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Ranulf sighed internally, the fake bemused smile on his face making his cheeks hurt. Of course this would be the shortest path to their destination.

“Ay, Ranulf! Have a drink on me today!”

“Good job on surviving the year!”

“Hope you have excellent plans for this day!”

As they headed towards the convoy, the pair walked through the laguz section of the camp. While no one on the beorc section where they’d started paid much attention to them, it seemed like every laguz they passed had a word or two for the teal-haired cat, mostly congratulatory, as Ranulf waved, smiled, and moved on. Ike could tell he was tense but didn’t press. 

“Oy! Ike!”

Just as they reached the start of the convoy, Lethe, another cat laguz, ran up, skidding to a stop in front of the pair. 

“There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Oh, hey Ranulf! What a “surprise” seeing you here with Ike. Like we never see that. By the way, blessings on this day to you!” 

She laughed and winked at the catboy. Then, turning to Ike, she continued on without taking a breath.

“So, Ike, are you going to have time to train this afternoon? I know your evenings seem to be all reserved for a certain someone but if you’re ever going to come test your skills in Gallia, you need to get in a LOT more practice. Well? You ready?”

Lethe finally stopped to breathe. Her tail twitched and ears swiveled back as her name suddenly rang out from behind a nearby tent. 

“Ugh! Duty and Lyre calls but I’ll meet you by the blacksmith’s in about half an hour, OK?” she said as she scurried towards the yelling voice.

“Sure, Lethe! Just let me grab my stuff!” Ike called after her retreating form.

He turned back to find his partner grinning at him, with a cocked eyebrow.  
“Training? Is that what it’s called now? And planning to run away together? To Gallia of all places. Tsk, tsk...I think I’m seriously jealous. Should I issue a challenge over your honor?”

Ike flushed red.  
“Oh, stop. Lethe is just helping me train. You’re an awesome fighter and I’ve learned a lot sparring with you but you always pull your punches. Don’t tell me you don’t. I know you do. And Lethe doesn’t. You’ve seen the scratches and bite marks. DON’T EVEN SAY IT!” he added quickly as a twinkle appeared in Ranulf’s eyes.

Ranulf wrapped his arms around Ike’s waist.  
“Well, if you say so. And I don’t pull my punches...much. Since it looks like your afternoon just filled up, I’m going to head to the convoy and see if there’s anything interesting. Try not to get hurt as much this time. Patching you up is not as sexy as it sounds.”

A quick kiss and Ike headed back to the tent. Ranulf watched him walk away until he turned the corner back to the beorc side of camp. His smile fell away as he thought about Ike and battles and nights together and time...always time. It felt like he’d thought of nothing else for the past few months, even though he’d never in his whole life given it a second thought. Time always felt like a limitless commodity… till it wasn’t.

Ranulf squared his shoulders and continued on to the convoy, determined to find something special for Ike. His baby boy had earned something good for dinner after all the fighting he’d just returned from.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a quick run by the tent to grab his practice weapons, Ike met Lethe in the open field by the blacksmith’s tent. She was already there, impatiently tapping her foot.  
“Finally! Are all beorc so careless with time?” But her grin belied the harshness of her tone.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Ready?”

The next few hours were filled with claws and teeth, fists and swords, as the two fought. It was hard to tell if they were training or just trying to kill each other. The other fighters near the field, beorc and laguz, stopped to watch for a bit, admiring the techniques on both sides. 

Finally, the pair were worn out. Ike took the worst of it, scratched and bleeding from several places but he was pleased to see that Lethe also didn’t look so good, welts and bruises already visible when she transformed back to her human shape. 

“That was a good fight, beorc! You get better each time.”

Ike offered her his flask as they sat on a bench near the field.  
“Thanks, Lethe. One day I’ll hopefully be able keep up with you.”

After a moment of silence, Lethe turned to the tall fighter.  
“He hasn’t told you what today is, has he?”

Finally! Someone who knows the answer, thought Ike.

“No, he hasn’t. But it’s apparently something special but also making him very sad. He’s trying hard not to talk to me about it.”

Lethe stood up and stretched, rubbing the blossoming bruise across her shoulder.  
“It’s his birthday. Last year we had the biggest party in the laguz camp, complete with the traditional Gâteau D'huile De Poisson or fish oil cake. It was a huge milestone for him. This year, he asked us to do nothing. He didn’t want to celebrate at all. I’m guessing it’s because of you.”

Ike blinked up at her.  
“His birthday? Oh for the gods’ sake...I’m so dense! But why not tell me? He obviously didn’t mind birthdays before.”

Lethe stared at him incredulously.  
“You beorc can be a little slow, can’t you? Ranulf turned 100 last year. A great milestone to our race as you are officially considered an elder. Those under 100 are still considered adults after 25 or so but only after you’ve seen a century of living do we consider a cat laguz to have the potential for wisdom. He probably didn’t tell you because he would have to explain how he went against generations of wisdom, *centuries* of warnings, about relationships with you butterfly races.”

“Butterfly races?”

Lethe sighed and began to gather her things.  
“The races who live to be less than 100. You have the lifespan of a butterfly in a windstorm compared to the draconic races but even to us cat folk who can live to be well over 400, your lives are fragile and so very short.”

Ike sat there, a stunned look on his face.  
“I… I knew you all lived a long time but ...wow…”  
He fell silent as some of the implications began to sink in. 

 

Lethe handed Ike his sword.  
“He probably didn’t mention it because that silly cat loves you and thought you might find it hard to accept. I think you two have some things to talk about tonight.”

Patting him on the back, Lethe headed off towards the laguz side of the camp.  
“Come by later!” she tossed back over her shoulder “Lyre and I will have something that might help.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Just as night fell, Ranulf sauntered up to the tent he shared with his companion. Ike was sitting at a campfire just in front, roasting a rabbit he’d snagged from the cook tent while dropping a soft dough into the spider skillet sitting off to one side of the flames. 

“Have I died and gone to heaven or are you cooking for me?”  
He flashed a sly smile and dropped onto the rock next to Ike, setting his bag carefully on the ground.

“Visiting the convoy was a bad, bad idea. I got swarmed the second I got there with people wanting to know where things went.”  
He pulled a package from his bag.  
“However, on a good note, I got us some jerky for the next scouting mission. Not sure what meat it is but it was ridiculously good.”

Ike smiled as he accepted a piece. He took a bite, moving the skillet onto the fire to bake the pan bread.  
“This is great. Thanks! Oh, by the way, Happy Birthday.”

Ranulf’s smile wavered just a bit before dropping completely.  
“Lethe told you, right?”

“She may have mentioned it.”  
Ike turned slightly towards his partner.  
“I take it that’s why you’ve been so not-here today. You want to talk about it?”

Ranulf took the rabbit off the fire. For a few minutes, they sat in silence, Ranulf cutting up the rabbit, Ike flipping the pan bread. Finally, he took a deep breath.  
“I never dreaded my birthdays before. I always loved them. The parties, the food, the fun… But this year… I just couldn’t. For once, marking the passage of time was painful. I don’t want to look too closely at time anymore and things like birthdays just emphasize how quickly it moves.”

The laguz glanced over at Ike, who looked deep in thought, staring at the campfire.  
“Why didn’t you tell me how much it was bothering you, Rani? Did you really think I couldn’t handle it? Or does it just remind you that maybe I’m not worth the time in the larger scheme of things? That I can’t promise a lifetime and have it mean much?”

Ranulf immediately looked stricken, grasping Ike’s hand tightly as the larger man turned towards him.  
“NO, no, my love! You are absolutely worth every minute of every day! I… I just…”  
He stood up and began to pace. This was going just as he’d feared. Ike was going to feel unloved, lied to, or used. He’d leave just like everyone warned him would happen.  
“Humans can’t face the fact they are fleeting and you’ll be a constant reminder of that.” they’d said when he and Ike first started seeing each other. But he had to try. He wanted his precious fighter to understand how important he was to him. 

Ranulf knelt down in front of Ike, putting his hands on Ike’s knees.  
“When you and I started, I ignored all the warnings, all the stories, from everyone I knew.”

Ike laid his hands on top of Ranulf’s.  
“I know. Lethe told me about the ‘butterfly’ races.”

Ranulf grimaced.  
“I wouldn’t have used *that* particular phrase but yeah. From childhood, we’re drilled about the dangers of loving outside of the laguz. Not from prejudice but from the very practical hazards of loving something you can’t keep. Our folklore is full of tales of laguz who loved beorcs and the pain that comes from watching something you love grown old and die. In fact, many laguz take beorc lovers like someone would get a bird. They’re like a pet and once they start to age, the laguz moves on. A lot of my people advised me to do the same with you. Don’t invest. Don’t get hurt. But I can’t do that. Not with you.”

Ike’s eyes widened.  
“So I’m a pet? Well...can I at least be a dog? Dogs love to chase cats.” 

Ranulf paused, looked at the twitch in the corner of Ike’s mouth, and pushed him off his seat with mock indignation.  
“I’m trying to be serious here.”

Ike’s face became somber once again as he sat back up.  
“I know, Kitty Cat. But you have to understand, I’m not stupid. I knew you were older than me. And I knew your people lived longer, although I wasn’t sure just how much longer till today. After Lethe explained things to me, I had some time to think.”

He leaned over the fire and moved the pan off to the side. Sitting back next to Ranulf, he calmly turned to the laguz and ran his fingertips along his cheek. His blue eyes met the multi-color ones of his catboy. 

“Ranulf, I’m awful at these kind of things. But I want you to know that this thing between us means everything to me. I love you. And maybe I’ll live to be 80. Maybe I’ll die in the next battle. This last mission could have been my last. No one knows, especially in the middle of this war. I think...maybe… I have a small idea of the major problems we face. I’m going to age. I’m going to die. Probably long before you do. At least I hope so”

Ike took Ranulf’s hand and lightly kissed his knuckles before continuing.  
“That means I’m going to be leaving you alone. And all the wishing in the world won’t change that. I also can’t change that you might not want to stay around to watch that process. All I can ask is that you stay for today, and for tomorrow. If it doesn’t hurt, stay for another day, then the next. Just stay with me until you can’t anymore. Then, I swear, I’ll let you go, happy for the time you gave me.”

A giant smile spread across Ranulf’s face, even as he blinked back tears .  
“You silly beorc. You can’t get rid of me that easily. I’m in this for the long haul. I wouldn’t have started with you if I didn’t think I’d want to stay forever. I love you, no matter what. I want as many days as you have to give. All of them. No matter the price.”

He leaned forward, drawing Ike into a feather light, questioning kiss. Ike responded, pulling Ranulf off his seat and into his lap. They were interrupted after a few minutes by the sound of Ike’s stomach rumbling. Laughing, they separated and settled down to eat. 

“Are we good?” Ike asked as he watched Ranulf finish the last of the rabbit. 

“We are so more than just good, pretty boy.”

Ike jumped up and ducked into the tent, returning with two packages. One was wrapped in oily, paper. The other used the same wrapping without the fishy smell. Ranulf sniffed the air carefully.

“Is that…?”

Ike held it just out of reach as Ranulf reached for it.  
“Yes, it is. But you have to promise that we will celebrate every milestone. Every birthday, every anniversary, every day that we go to bed alive… everything. I want to celebrate them all with you, to mark *our* time together.”

Ranulf stood in front of Ike, hand on his chin as if he was contemplating the demand. Then with a soft smile, he acquiesced.  
“Agreed, my gallant leader. We’ll celebrate them all. Now give me that package!”

Ike laughed as he handed over the fish oil cake Lethe had helped him make that afternoon.  
“Happy Birthday, old man!”

“What’s in the second package?”

“Lethe said that your cake would probably make me too sick to celebrate so she made me a more beorc-friendly version.”

 

After finishing and declaring the cake delicious, Ranulf sat back and sighed contentedly.  
“This was a good birthday. So, did you get me anything?”

Ike took a last bite of his non-fishy cake and stood up, pulling the other man to his feet. Walking backwards towards the tent, he tugged Ranulf gently along..  
“I think I have something you might like right in here. Any requests?”

Ranulf beamed at Ike and let himself be pulled into the tent.  
“Well! Now that you mention it, I bet I can think of a few things…”


End file.
